CUPE, government deadlocked again
Union’s concerns about post-employment benefits has Finance minister frustrated
Another deadlock has hit the negotiations between the government and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), with Finance Minister Tom Osborne not mincing words about the union.
“If we were stalling this, as government, CUPE would be jumping all over us. They’d be very angry,” Osborne said Friday.
“Well over a month ago, it was my understanding that we had come to an understanding on all of the issues with CUPE. The understanding could have and should have led to an agreement.”
Osborne is accusing CUPE of dragging out the process by bringing up a last-minute addition to the negotiations and looking to their national executive at the last minute.
It’s the second time talks between the government and CUPE have ground to a halt in recent months.
CUPE’S Brian Farewell said he was genuinely surprised to hear about the minister’s remarks, given the many advances toward reaching a tentative deal.
The issue of post-retirement benefits is the sticking point this time around.
Farewell said there was an early agreement on the matter, in a letter (to be brought forward in future contracts) dating back to 2014. However, he said the specifics for the new collective agreement referred to people in terms of “active employment” — a term noticed by negotiators and with some possible legal implications.
Farewell said union negotiators needed the possibilities explored with labour and human rights lawyers.
“Albeit I don’t know how many could find themselves in that position, but one is too many,” he said of union members unfairly losing benefits.
Farewell confirmed the last issue to be talked about in public by both sides — the language around a no-layoff clause for union members — has been resolved.
Past that, the union and government negotiators moved through “nine or ten” remaining items, dealt with in relatively short order, he said.
He mentioned Osborne’s offer to extend the date that aspect would come into effect, to March 31, 2020, to give more time for the matter. Farewell said the union wants a guarantee nothing would instead come in “for the duration of the current collective agreement.”
And the union wants generally not to sign off on anything inappropriate.
With all that said, he generally doesn’t see CUPE workers waiting too much longer for something to vote on.
The legal review work on the benefits section takes some time, he said, suggesting perhaps a couple of weeks.
A third-party firm has been hired through CUPE’S national office for the job and is working on the legal opinion.
“When it comes back, we told the government, we’ll contact them,” he said.
While CUPE and the government wait for that opinion to come back, negotiations with nurses and teachers are progressing, but slowly.
Osborne says the focus on the previous agreement with the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees (NAPE) and the current dispute with CUPE have forced the government to be slow in dealing with the other unions also at the bargaining table.
“We try to run numerous negotiations side by side to the best degree possible, but there’s only so much human resources in the department. We’re dealing with several other bargaining units simultaneously,” Osborne said.